Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter XCI: 108-106

108. Michael Nylander

Nylander is a 5'11", 192 lb. center from Stockholm, Sweden. Born on October 3rd, 1972, he was selected by the Hartford Whalers in the third round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft with the 59th overall choice. He spent the season after he was picked honing his skills with AIK, in the Swedish Elite League, scoring 11 goals and 17 assists in 40 games. He spent most of the next two seasons in Hartford, scoring 22 goals and 55 assists in 117 games for the Whalers. He also had three goals and 12 assists for the AHL Springfield Indians in only seven games (combined regular season and playoffs).

On March 10th, 1994, the Whalers traded Nylander to the Flames with James Patrick and Zarley Zalapski for Gary Suter, Paul Ranheim, and Ted Drury. With the Flames, he appeared for 15 games to close out the season, with two goals on 21 shots and nine assists. He also earned a team-10th plus-10 rating and six penalty minutes. On March 15th, he scored his first goal with Calgary, also adding two assists in a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, 7-3. The Flames won the Pacific Division, but lost the first round of the playoffs to the Vancouver Canucks in seven games. Nylander went scoreless in three games.

Nylander played the majority of the 1994-95 season with JyP HT Jyvaskyla in the Swedish League, tallying 11 goals and 19 assists in 16 games, also earning 63 penalty minutes and a plus-18 rating. In six games for Calgary he earned a single assist. The Flames went 24-17-7, earning a first round berth against the San Jose Sharks. Calgary again lost in seven, but not due to any lack of contribution on Nylander’s part, as he earned six helpers in six games.

In 1995-96, Nylander scored what was then a career-best 55 points in his first full NHL season for the Flames (he topped 50 points eight more times after leaving the Flames). He ranked 10th on the team with 73 appearances, scoring a team-fourth 17 goals on 163 shots with a team-third 38 assists, an even rating, and 20 penalty minutes. He had multiple points on 14 occasions, including New Years Eve, when he tallied two including the game winner in a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. He dished out a season high four assists two nights later, as the Flames defeated the Lightning, 10-0. Calgary posted a 34-37-11 record, but lost in the first round of the playoffs in four games to the Chicago Blackhawks. Nylander went scoreless in each of the four games.

Nylander played the 1996-97 season with Lugano in Switzerland (36 games, 12 goals, 43 assists). He rejoined the Flames the following year, scoring a team-sixth 13 goals on 117 shots with a team-fourth 23 assists in 65 games. He registered a Flames-best plus-10 rating and 24 penalty minutes. He put up two points in eight different games. On October 17th, he scored an assist and the overtime game winner (with :20 remaining) in a 6-5 thriller over the Colorado Avalanche. He scored another overtime game winner on December 16th in a 4-3 decision over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Flames finished at 26-41-15.

In 1998-99, Nylander appeared in nine games for the Flames, scoring twice on seven shots with three assists, a plus-1 rating and two penalty minutes. On January 19th, the Flames traded him to the Lightning for Andrei Nazarov. Nylander played parts of two seasons with the Bolts (35 games, three goals, nine assists), later appearing with the Blackhawks (239 games, 63 goals, 117 assists), the Washington Capitals (186 games, 37 goals, 91 assists), the Boston Bruins (15 games, one goal, 11 assists), and the New York Rangers (160 games, 49 goals, 113 assists).  He also spent time playing professionally in Finland, Italy, and Russia. He rejoined AIK in Sweden in 2013-14, earning one assist in eight games.

All-Time Statline: 168 games, 34 goals, 74 assists, plus-22 rating, 54 penalty minutes, 9.35 point shares.

107. Brad Marsh

Marsh, a native of London, Ontario, was a 6'3", 220 lb. defenseman. Born on March 31st, 1958, he enjoyed a five season junior career in the OHA with the London Knights (269 games, 22 goals, 131 assists). The Flames, still in Atlanta, chose him in the first round of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft with the 11th selection overall.

Marsh joined the Flames soon afterward, and played in all 80 games his rookie season. He finished seventh in the running for the 1978-79 Calder Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s most outstanding rookie. He went scoreless despite taking a shot per game, but tallied 19 assists, a team-fourth plus-23 rating and a team-fourth 101 penalty minutes. The Flames posted a 41-31-8 record, but were swept from the postseason in two games by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marsh earned 17 penalty minutes in the series.

1979-80 would see Marsh appear in all 80 games for Atlanta, and score two goals on 73 shots with nine assists, a minus-15 rating, and a team-second 119 penalty minutes. The Flames went 35-32-13, and lost the first round of the postseason to the New York Rangers, three-games-to-one. Marsh had one assist in the four games.

Atlanta lost the Flames during the 1980 offseason, and Marsh joined them as they moved to Calgary. For the third time in his three year career, he played in all 80 games for the team, scoring a goal on 58 shots with 12 helpers, a minus-2 rating, and a team-seventh 87 penalty minutes. The Flames went 39-27-14 for Calgary, and defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in three, the Philadelphia Flyers in seven, and the Minnesota North Stars in six. Of course, Marsh played in all 16 contests, and added five assists to the effort.

Marsh started out the 1981-82 season by playing in 17 contests with the Flames, and earning a single assist and a horrid minus-16 rating. Amongst all Flames players who scored at least one goal, he has the second lowest career shot percentage, with three goals on 228 shots, a 1.3% clip. On November 11th, the Flames traded him to the Flyers for Mel Bridgman.

Marsh played the Lion’s share of his career with Philly (514 games, 14 goals, 96 assists), later joining the Leafs (181 games, two goals, 28 assists), the Detroit Red Wings (75 games, four goals, seven assists), and the Ottawa Senators (59 games, zero goals, three assists). He currently blogs with www.hockeybuzz.com.

All-Time Statline: 257 games, three goals, 31 assists, minus-10 rating, 317 penalty minutes, 9.56 point shares.

106. Neil Sheehy

Sheehy was a 6'2", 215 lb. defenseman. He was born on February 9th, 1960 in Fort Frances, Ontario, and played four seasons at Harvard, graduating with the Class of 1983. He scored 16 goals with 32 assists in 103 games with the Crimson.

1983-84 would see Sheehy play in 74 games for the CHL’s Colorado Flames, and score five times with 18 assists. He played in one game for Calgary in the regular season, scoring a goal on his only shot and earning two penalty minutes. He also played in four postseason matches for the 34-32-14 Flames.

In 1984-85, Sheehy split the year between the AHL’s Moncton Golden Flames (34 games, six goals, nine assists, 101 PiM) and Calgary. He played 31 games at the NHL level, lighting the lamp three times on 42 shot attempts with four assists and a team-fifth 109 penalty minutes. Calgary went 41-27-12, and earned the third seed in the Smythe Division. The lost to the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, three-games-to-one.

1985-86 would see Sheehy with an NHL-eighth and Flames-second 271 penalty minutes in 65 games. He scored twice on 59 shots with 16 assists and a minus-1 rating. Calgary landed the Smythe Division’s second seed, and eliminated the Jets in three, the Edmonton Oilers in seven, and the St. Louis Blues, also in seven before losing in five games to the Montreal Canadiens for the Stanley Cup. On the road to the Finals, Sheehy picked up two assists and 79 minutes in the penalty box.

Sheehy appeared in 54 games for Calgary in 1986-87, scoring a career high four goals on 45 shots with six assists, a team-fifth plus-11 rating and a team-fourth 151 penalty minutes. The Flames went 46-31-3, finishing second in the Smythe Division. They lost in six to the Jets in the first round of the playoffs. Sheehy picked up another 21 penalty minutes.

In 1987-88, Sheehy played 36 games for the Flames, scoring two goals on 27 shots with six assists, a team-ninth plus-16 rating, and 73 penalty minutes. On December 22nd, he had a goal and two assists in a 6-5 overtime win against the Hartford Whalers. Hartford liked what they saw, apparently. The Flames traded him to the Whalers on January 3rd with Carey Wilson and Lane MacDonald for Dana Murzyn and Shane Churla.

Sheehy played with Hartford (26 games, one goal, four assists, 116 PiM) and the Washington Capitals (131 games, four goals, nine assists, 470 PiM) before rejoining the Flames through free agency on September 3rd, 1991.

After missing an entire season with an injury, Sheehy played in his sixth and final season for the Flames in 1991-92. He appeared in 35 contests, scoring a goal on 19 shots with a pair of assists, a minus-7 rating and a team-eighth 119 penalty minutes. He scored his final NHL goal on October 26th, in a 2-2 tie with the St. Louis Blues. The Flames finished the season with a 31-37-12 record.

All-Time Statline: 222 games, 13 goals, 34 assists, plus-24 rating, 725 penalty minutes, 9.59 point shares.